Gas passage of the cylinders of internal combustion engines



May 24, 1932. F. DE LAUTOUR GAS PASSAGE OF THE CYLINDERS OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Aug. 1, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 24, 1932. F. DE LAUTOUI? GAS PASSAGE OF THE CYLINDERS OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Aug. 1, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W m m I T'Iuncz's clellau'r'oun erib Q3 .Hfforney Patented May 24, 1932 UNITED STATES FRANCIS DE AUTOUR,

as LONDON, ENGLAND V GAS PASSAGE OF THE CYLINDEBS OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Application filed. August 1, 1930,,Seria1 No; 472,386, and in Great Britain August 21, 1929.

This invention is for improvements relating to the gas passages of the cylinders of internal combustion engines, of the type in which only a single valve or set of valves is used, for the discharge of the exhaust gases and then for theadmission of the succeeding aircharge for the combustion of the next charge offuel. p

a The present invention comprises, in an in- 13 ternal combustionengine of the type described, the combination with a valve con trolling a port in the cylinder head, and an outlet passage leading away therefrom, of means for causing a continuousflow of air through said passage. I

Preferably the said air flow is made to sweepacross a face of the valve so as to ensure adequate cooling of the valve.

According to another feature of this invention, the said air stream is directed on to the rear 'face of the'valve by a series of jets so disposed as to give the air a swirling motion coaxial with the cylinder axis. t

A particular embodiment of this invention willrnow be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which' Figure 1 shows a sectional elevation of a cylinder head and a part of the cylinder of an internal combustion engine embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is another sectional elevation of the cylinder head and the part of the cyl inder on a plane at right anglesto the section-plane of Figure 1. c

.FigureB is an outside elevation corresponding to Figure 2. c

Figure 4t is a horizontal section or plan m view along the line A-A of Figure1.

The cylinder head shown in the drawings is for use inan oil engine in which a charge of oil and air is ignited by the high tempera ture produced at the end ofthe compression stroke of the piston. Such an engine iscommonly. called a compression-ignition'engine. r

In the present example, in orderto facilitate the starting oi the engine an auxiliary valve-controlled chamber is provided in the cylinder head. The construction and function of this additional chamber are described in detail below.

Referringmore particularly to Figures 1 2, the cylinder head comprises two main parts; a main gas passage 10, communicating with an exhaust passage 11, and an auxiliary chamber 12 which-is an integral part of the casting of thecylinder head and is formed slightly at the side thereof. The gas passage 10 communicates at its lower end with a port 13 which constitutes aseating fora poppet valve 14, the stem of which passes through a hole 15 in the crown of thegas passage 10. The auxiliary chamber 12is' also provided with a poppet valve 16 which is seated at 17, the stem of which passesthrough a cylindrical hole 18 in the top of the aux-- iliary chamber 12. j A port 19, for connection to an induction pipe and' a threaded hole 7 9 (Figure 8) to take a sparking plug, are also provided in the wall of. the auxiliary chamber 12,

' a The two chambers 10 and-12 open downwardly into the top of the cylinder, the internal wall 20' of-which engages the lower ring 21 of the cylinder head casting. The external wallor jacket 22 of the cylinder engages a flange 23 which is formed integrally with the cylinder head casting and projects beyond the ring 21 by a distance equal to the space of the cylinder walls. This space is continued in the cylinder head as an annular passage which is divided by six vanes 25 into a series of ports 24 which communicate on the inside with the gas passage.

The six vanes 25 are symmetrically disposed in the passage 2 l'and serve to hold together the upper and lower portions of the cylinder head. The inner face of each vane (see now also Figure 4) is in a vertical plane tangential to the periphery of the port 13, while the outer face is a slightly convex cylindrical surface. Oneof the vanes is enlarged and bored as shown to accommodate the stem of the poppet valve 16 passing through the auxiliary chamber 12.

The flange 23 of'the' cylinder head is provided with a series of holes 26 to accommodate bolts for securing the cylinder head to the cylinder, and also with a lug 27 (see Fig described :A continuous stream .of air is 7 case enclof the cylinder j acket22 or. a suction caused to flow between the internal and ex ternal walls and 22 of the cylinder,

. through the passage 24 and out through the.

exhaust passage 11. 'This stream may be produced by any. convenient means such as, for example, a pump connected to'the crank chamber or induction fan arrangedin the exhaust system. The combined effect-of-the vanes 25 and the curved shape of-thetop of the-annular passage :24 isto direct theair on to the outer surface ofthe'main'poppet valve 14 in a series of swirling-jets and toestablish a pressure, greater than atmospheric pressure, in the gas passage 10.

When the valve 14 opens, at the end of-a power stroke, the exhaust gases are diluted with air in the gas passage 10 and then driven out through the exhaust passage 11 by-the combined action of the piston and the air stream. The exhaust gases are cooled by being thus mixed with the air stream and this. renders the'engine moresilent in running than it otherwise would be. H I

hen the exhaust stroke .is complete, a

charge of oil is injected into the cylinder throughthe hole 28 and,'at the Sametime, a charge of air from thegas passage 10 enters through the port 13' and atomizes the-oil.' If no air stream were providedythe charge ofpair would enterthe cylinder solely by'the' suction of the descending piston 30, but with the arrangement provided by this invention,

the airis forced into the cylinder by the pressure, abovereferred to which-is produced by 'the'air stream in thegas passage 10. The volumetric efficiency of the engine is thus-inrequired to starta compression-ignition engine. In an engine using a cylinder head suchas 1S described-above and illustrated in the accompanying draWings,-starting is readily accomplished by'the use of the auxiliary chamber 12; The valve 16 (which may be operated manually) is opened,-the fuel oil supply is cutoff and gasoline vapour is admitted from a carburetor through theport '17. With the valve 16 open the compression volume of th cylinder isincreased bythe "volume of the auxiliary chamber 12,'and the engine may be ez zsily-started up as a gasoline 1 engine. WVhen a sufiicient speed has been attained, the valve 16 is closed, the fuel oil supply is established and the engine proceeds to run, as it is designed to run, as a compressionignition engine.

I claim 1. An internal combustionengine of the kind described having-acentrahportin the cylinder head, a mushroom valvezcontrolling said "port, Walls forming an annular in-let passage'in'the cylinder head, and an outletpassage, and through. which passages a continuous stream of air is maintained, and guide vanes formed between the-saidw-alls to causeathe flow of air toswirl co-axially with the valve over theouter face thereof.

.3. An -internal-conibustion engine of the kind described having a central port in the cylinder-head, a mushroom valvecontrolling said :port, wallsforming an annular inlet passage in the cylinder head, an-outlet passage, andthrough which;passages a contin- LIOHSIflOW of air is :maintained, and a series of guide vanesformed between thesaidwalls for causingthe flow;of.air to swirl co-axially withithe valve over-theouter face thereof, and the said-walls being curved to direct-the swirling airdownwardly on to the outerface of the valve. 7

- 4. An internal combustion engineof the kind described having a mushroom valve controllinga :port in the cylinder chead,an inlet and an outlet passagecommunicating therewith through which a continuous-flow of air is-maintained, guiding'means for causing the flow of air to-swirl .co-axially with the valve over the outer face thereof, wherein the 'inletpassageconstitutes a continuation of an air jacket surroundingthe cylinder, through which jacket the flow of air passes before reaching the valve.

5. An internal-combustion engine of :the kind described having a-centralport'inthe cylinder head, a mushroom valvecontrolling said p ort, walls forming an annular inletpas sagesurrounding the port, an outlet passage communicating with theport and through which passages-a.continuous;flow.of air is maintained, and a series of .guide vanes formed between the said walls to causethe flow ofair to swirl co-axially of the valve and over the outer face thereof, and the said walls constitutinga continuation of anair jacket,

surrounding the cylinder through Whichthe flowofairpasses beforereaching the valve. :6. Anxinternal-combustion engine .of the 2. 'An internal-combustion engine of the as V character described comprising a-port in the cylinder head, a valve controlling said port, an inlet passage communicating with said port and through which passage a continuous flow of air is maintained, an outlet passage also communicating with said port, and guiding means whereby said flow of air is caused to swirl co-axially with the valve over the outer face thereof.

7. An internal-combustion engine of the kind described having a port in the cylinder head, a valve controlling said port, an inlet and an outlet passage both communicating with the port, and through which passages a continuous flow of air is maintained, and guiding means whereby said flow of air is caused to swirl co-axially with the valve over the outer face thereof.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FRANCIS DE LAUTOUR. 

